Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 683: Placement of Returnees
"Prime Minister Wen, I understand the recent war. Then, I, under the order of the Emperor, would like to ask you how to arrange for the officials and civilians who have returned from India?"
"Commander, when the Ming Dynasty conquered India, in addition to sending three divisions to garrison, there were also 760 officials of all levels who followed me to India to take up my post. This time, there are 685 officials returning with me, as well as more than 13,000 family members and servants they brought back."
"What? There are so many people?"
"Ah~" Wen Tiren sighed helplessly, "So, no matter who goes into India, it won't be long before it becomes a mess. The people are too docile and their tolerance is too high. It's hard to control an official there for a long time. Commander, I know that my career will end after this defeat, so I dare to speak openly. Although these officials who came back are better than those who stayed in India as rebels, they are only slightly better. These people are absolutely useless. In my opinion, it's better to leave them in Burma, give them land, and let them fend for themselves."
"I don't quite understand what Prime Minister Wen said just now. Do you mean that in addition to Li Yongfang, there are also some civil servants who have become traitors?"
"How can there be no traitors?" Wen Tiren spread his hands. "With such a large industry and an unscrupulous life of superiority, as long as the Europeans give them protection and ensure that they can continue this kind of life, it is not surprising that some people betray their country and their ancestors."
"These damned thieves! It seems that the Jinyiwei really needs to call back some of the assassins sent to Europe to carry out powerful assassinations in India!"
"I also think it is necessary. Otherwise, if there is not enough deterrence against these traitors, there may be more and more traitors in the future." Wen Tiren sighed and said, "Since the emperor took office as regent, in the past 30 years, while making the Ming Dynasty rich and strong, I don't know how many people's interests have been affected. The dissatisfaction and hatred in these people's hearts have been suppressed by the emperor instead of being eliminated. Therefore, once they see a power that is comparable to our Ming Dynasty, these people who have long been dissatisfied will naturally want to get close to it. Not to mention that money can move people's hearts. After living like that in India for three years, they can't give it up."
"Well, so, although these officials who returned home brought a lot of people back, they still have their homeland in their hearts?"
"Most people are like this, but a small number of spies are not excluded."
"..." After a moment of silence, Tian Ergeng smiled helplessly: "I understand."
"However." Wen Tiren thought for a while: "If the commander wants to send people to India to carry out the assassination, please pay attention to one thing. Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou are definitely not traitors. Can't they be killed?"
"Huh? The Donglin Party members, did they also stay in India?"
"Commander, we cannot completely deny the Donglin Party just because they tried to poison the emperor. There are still people in this group who do things. In the past three years, Gao Panlong, Zuo Guangdou, Yang Lian and others founded Confucianism in India and absorbed many local people into the religion. After our dynasty was defeated in India, these Confucianists also organized a "Star Army" to fight the enemy together with us. Of course, due to the lack of logistics, our regular army did not have enough weapons and ammunition, so naturally we could not arm them. However, these people's loyalty is trustworthy. After accepting our Confucian ideas, their spirit and energy far exceeded that of the local natives.
During the great retreat, Gao Panlong retreated because he was old and wanted to die in his hometown. Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou, two old men in their sixties, stayed behind. Well, with the protection of local Confucianists, it was very convenient for them to hide. This is also a backup plan left by the old man for the court to fight back to India in the future. "
"I see. I understand. This way, I will be more confident in carrying out large-scale assassinations in India."
"That's your business. I heard that the imperial court has just started building its 10,000-ton warships. It looks like it will take at least three years to fight back to India. I hope that before the Ming Dynasty returns to India in three years, you can kill at least half of the traitors. This way, you can deter those behind you."
"I understand. Please rest assured, Prime Minister Wen. Although I am not young anymore, I am still only in my fifties. I am not inferior to Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou in terms of ambition."
"Hahaha, Commander, I have confidence in you when it comes to killing people. But what should we do with the current situation? So many officials and their families and servants are pouring into Mubang. There will also be about 60,000 to 70,000 defeated soldiers of Mao Wenlong's regiment and their families pouring in later. In addition, Liu Zhaosun's army of more than 200,000 is now in Burma, and they will also return home from here after the Europeans withdraw their troops. Although the people of Mubang are loyal to the emperor, they are too small to take in so many people. How to settle them will require your concern."
"Hehe, Prime Minister Wen, you are joking. I am a member of the Imperial Guard. Spying, killing, and screening incoming personnel... these are things I am good at. Governing the people? I don't understand anything at all."
"Then what should we do? Oh, by the way, besides you, who else will the court send to take over such a big mess?"
"The Emperor has already sent capable men here, so I don't think it will be long."
…
Just as Tian Ergeng said this, it was in Guiyang, about five or six hundred kilometers east of Mubang Prefecture.
"Your Highness, there is no road here, so we can't use the carriage. We have to ride horses."
"Okay, Mr. Ma. Although sitting in a carriage is relatively stable, it is a bit stuffy if you sit in the carriage for a long time. It is more comfortable to ride a horse."
Yes, the people Zhu Youdong sent this time to oversee the resettlement and handling of the people returning from India were Ma Shiying, the current Tongzhengsi of the Ming Dynasty and a candidate for the successor prime minister, and the emperor's second son, Zhu Ciyan.
This year, Zhu Ciyan was just seventeen years old, and was at his most youthful and energetic. His mother, Zhu Youdong's queen Liu Yun, originally wanted to arrange a marriage for him, but he was unwilling. He went directly to Zhu Youdong and said that after two years of observing politics in the Tongzhengsi, although he had some understanding of the overall situation of the Ming Dynasty, what he saw was only on paper. If there is a chance, please send me to the local area to do some errands and accumulate some practical experience.
Then Zhu Youdong sent him to Mubang to serve as the Tongzhi, responsible for the resettlement of a large group of people returning from India.
Of course, it was not possible for him to go alone for such a difficult task. In addition to letting Ma Shiying accompany him to assist him, the circle of friends that Zhu Ciyan met in the military academy, such as Zhang Huangyan, Zhang Tongchang, Li Dingguo, Li Laiheng, Mu Tianbo, etc., just happened to enter the last semester of the military academy at this time. They all followed him and regarded it as a graduation internship.
A group of young people came out of the carriage and rode on the tall horses that Guizhou Provincial Government had prepared for them. Although the bumps of the horses were much stronger than the four-wheeled carriages equipped with shock-absorbing springs and rubber tires, everyone became excited.
"Master Mu, you have been away from home for four years. Do you feel homesick now?"
"Haha~ Li Laiheng, stop showing off your knowledge. In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has been thriving, and Yunnan has also benefited from it and developed very well. In addition, many roads have been built in Yunnan Province in recent years. Except for the two mountains bordering Guizhou, all other prefectures have roads. This makes the exchange of letters very fast. I know everything about my family in three months at most. How can I be so homesick?"
"I don't care. Anyway, your family will cover all our expenses when we get to Yunnan."
"Of course. Although my family is not as good as your highness's, it is still no problem to support you guys. By the way, Li Laiheng, you are sixteen years old this year. Do you want me to take you to the best brothel in Kunming, hehehe..."
A group of young men, dressed in bright clothes and riding horses, were laughing and playing, and the whole atmosphere was extremely lively.
However, among these people, Ma Shiying, who was in his forties, and Zhu Ciyan and Zhang Tongchang did not get involved.
"Mr. Ma, I heard that after we climb over two mountains, we will see the road again. I guess the speed will increase again, right?"
"Your Highness, if everything goes well, we are expected to reach Kunming in six days. The entire route from Kunming to Mubang is paved with cement roads, so the speed will be very fast. In short, we will arrive in half a month at most."
"When the emperor sent me out of the capital this time, he told me very clearly that Tian Ergeng should go first and screen the officials, soldiers and civilians who have returned from India. Those who have committed bad deeds in India, or who have obviously been instigated by the Western bandits, will be convicted according to the rules. But I estimate that there won't be too many such people. How should we deal with the remaining 100,000 people?"
"Your Highness, we have been receiving messengers from Yunnan along the way, and I have gradually understood the situation in Mubang. To be honest, I initially thought that in recent years, the civil service examinations in Yunnan and Guizhou have always failed to fill the quota because of the small number of applicants and the limited quality of candidates. So, should we select some of the best people returning from India to supplement the civil service teams in Yunnan and Guizhou? But as I have learned more and more about the situation, I have completely given up this idea."
"Mr. Ma means that these people are used to enjoying themselves in India. If we allow them to re-enter the officialdom of our Ming Dynasty, I'm afraid that not only will they be unable to do anything, but they will also ruin the good official style that we have cultivated with great difficulty over the years in our Ming Dynasty?"
"That's right."
"Then Mr. Ma, how do you think we should place these people?"
"Your Highness." Ma Shiying hesitated for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and said, "In my opinion, it would be best to transfer all these people to Jilin. There are a lot of wastelands there, and we can allocate land to these people. Let them build their own manors with the slaves they recruited in India!"
"...Haha, Mr. Ma, I'm afraid those people have stayed in warm India for too long and are unwilling to go to a bitter cold place."
"That's not up to them . Your Highness, the Emperor spent nearly thirty years to build a brand new civil service system. And because of adequate salaries and effective supervision, the official style of the country has been getting better and better in recent years. I don't want these guys to re-enter the Ming officialdom and ruin this hard-earned official style. Although it does seem a bit crude and unfair to the few officials who gave up their estates in India and returned to the country out of loyalty, for the sake of the country, I have to let some people suffer."
"...I understand. I will personally investigate this matter after arriving in Mubang. If the truth is indeed as the report we received says, then we will do as Mr. Ma says. Well, no, this is not Mr. Ma's idea, it's my idea."
"Your Highness, why are you doing this? Doing this is bound to offend a large number of people."
"Hahaha, of course I know that I will offend a lot of people, but that's why my father sent me here. Mr. Ma, I'm a prince. No matter how dissatisfied the officials below are with me, as long as my father likes me, they can't do anything to me. You are different. You are the one who will succeed Mr. Yuan as prime minister in the future. If you ruin your reputation before you take office, that won't do. "
"Your Highness!"
"Mr. Ma, there is no need to say more. Wasn't I sent here by my father to be this evil person?"
